Glitter of Gold

Find here my article for Sulekha on the Glitter of Gold published as a part of Akshaya Trithiyai celebrations in the country.  
A Note on Akshaya Trithiyai: Akashaya Trithiyai falls on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh/Vaikasi month (April-May), when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation; they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness, and this happens only once every year. 
This year the trithiyai fell on May 6th.  
The word "Akshaya" means imperishable or eternal - that which never diminishes. Initiations made or valuables bought on this day are considered to bring success or good fortune. Buying gold is a popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya, as it is the ultimate symbol of wealth and prosperity. Gold and gold jewelry bought and worn on this day signify never diminishing good fortune. Indians celebrate weddings, begin new business ventures, and even plan long journeys on this day.It is also believed that people born during this time shine bright in life. Many luminaries were born during this period: Basaveshwara born on May 4, Ramanujacharya and Adi Shankaracharya on May 6, Swami Chinmayananda on May 8 and Lord Buddha on May 16. Akshaya Tritiya is also celebrated as the birthday of Lord Parashurama, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.

Now for the article : 

 The Glitter of gold

I have said this before and will say so again “India’s love for Gold is legendary”. Gold, in India, is viewed to be homogenous and indistinguishable, and having no expiry date. Every Indian starts collecting gold for the next generation as soon as a baby is born into the family and an Indian woman’s trousseau is hard to imagine without the strong presence of gold. Gold or 'Aurum', which literally means 'Glowing Dawn' not just lures women but also captures every man’s heart for it denotes long lasting power, status and wealth. Gold is expensive no doubt, but the serpentine queues outside jewelry stores in the city, stand testimony to its never diminishing popularity. 

 Gold is a rare metallic element known for its excellent conductive properties and its inability to react with water or oxygen making it stable for everyday use. It is one of the most reflective materials known (when polished) and retains its own unique colour. Infact the name gold has been derived from the Indo-European root word for 'yellow'. The other colours of gold are white, rose and green which are alloys of gold with other metals like nickel (white), copper (rose) and silver (green). Antique is a finish that is given to age gold and should not be confused with a colour.

 Click here to read more of the article>>>

Cheers

SMS Giveaway Winner and designer profile

News number 1: Oh the giveaway (my first giveaway) is over. Thanks to sew, Mama sew!! for organizing this event on such a grand scale and to all of you for all the appreciation,wonderful comments and participation :) Some of you had asked some questions and I couldn't answer in the form for obvious reasons. So here are some reply comments.
@ shalini: Thanks for pointing our early that my website link was not alright enabling me to fix it while most of world slept :D
@Rini: the comic bracelet is very fragile, hence I didn't put it up for sale where I would have to ship it internationally. But I'll definitely make something for you
@Zees: Love your enthusiasm
@ to new followers: welcome to my blog and I hope that you'll have fun here

So off to the most important question...who is the winner??
So of the total entries 42 (incl bonus entries), the winner was chosen at random (my mom picked a number) and is Bhushavali...Bhusha you are one lucky girl!! Congrats
Of all the people(of various countries) who participated, the winner lives in my city..so much for international shipping ;)
Reflections of the giveaway:
1) giveaways are addictive...I went through the entire first list and most of the other two scouting for items that would take my breadth away..and I did enter most of them :D
2) Half way through the process, I felt very disappointed. Reason : Didnt find too many jewelry giveaways. Then it struck me (dumbhead) that it was a sewing related giveaway and hence there was a plethora of bags, pouches, aprons, purses, tea towels, not to mention kids clothes and diaper bags.OMG!!
3) It was so funny to see how I ran away from the ones that were giving away fabric. No offense, the pieces were beautiful..but if I bring one more bundle of fabric into the house, my mom is going to throw me out. She even suggested that I giveaway or auction off all the fabrics I have. Anybody interested in such a giveaway, please write/comment in this post I'll have a new one at the soonest .



News No.2: Some time back I wrote to Maggie of Allfreebeadedjewelry asking her if she would link up some of my posts. Surprising she had already linked a post and we discussed setting up my designer profile on her site. So here it is all set. 
Click my Designer profile to go there. There are only a couple of posts now but more will be added in the future. Look around the space..there are so many free patterns and ideas just waiting to inspire you
Hoping to have more Giveaways and swaps in the future :)
Cheers

Giveaway Day - May 23rd

 Its 6PM local time on May 26th and hence this giveaway is closed now. Come back in a while to see who won...good luck!!
With May 23rd the "Giveaway day" getting very popular, I have also decided to jump into the wagon and share some happiness.I am participating in " Sew, Mama, Sew" giveaway day and am giving away one of the most favorite items of this blog....The Valentine week BFF Corsage Bracelet

 

Yes you heard it right. When I thought of doing this giveaway, (my very first giveaway)I thought why not pick the post thats got the most number of hits so far and giveaway the item as a present to show my love and affection.

 If you have been reading or following this blog, you would know that I love to recycle stuff especially fabric... Recyling stuff is great...but reusing is even better.So say yes to recycling and reusing. Participate in the giveaway and spread the word. (yes I will ship Internationally :)

Here's how to participate in the Giveaway (you can enter up to 4 times...optional and none of the steps below are mandatory. So choose the option that's most convenient to you)

Leave a separate entry for each....for clubbed entries already received I'll calculate the bonus entries myself :)

 1) Follow Jewelsofsayuri through google friend connect or GFC and drop in a comment saying why you would like to have this bracelet

2) If you are not on blogger and are a facebooker, Like jewelsofsayuri on Facebook and drop in a comment

3) Visit my website http://sayuri.hpage.com/ and leave a comment in the guest book/and mention in the comment form here for an extra entry

4) Visit my Artfire store and look around to see if you like something. If so drop in a comment letting me know

As per the rules this giveaway will be open from May 23rd till May 25th following which I'll announce one winner (selected randomly...and yes I will ship internationally ;)). Come back on 26th to know who won.(TIP: make sure that your email is available to me so that I can contact you ). Once the winner confirms their address (by May 3oth) the article will be shipped.

So have fun participating in the Giveaway and If you dont want to wait for that long to get your hands on the bracelets - here is a tutorial on how to make one...Valentine BFF corsage bracelet
Also here is the link to the three master lists of everyone who is participating in the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway. So pay a visit, enter a lot of giveaways and have loads of Fun

Cheers...and have fun

What to buy in Nepal - part II

Hey everybody, hope you had a good week. Welcome to the 2nd part of my must list (for shopping) in Nepal from a crafter - designer perspective.

Look here for the ground rules and to read my previous post. 

Jewelry Designer/Enthusiast

1) Gemstones:  So now that you have read my last post (for all the late entries), you know that Nepal is a rich source of various gemstones - like jade, garnet, turquoise, Lapis and many many more.

You will get any size you want starting from about 2mm in diameter to even 4-5 inches in diameter. I literally walked through dozens of streets filled with these huge gemstones in Thamel. whose kidding..they were so pretty to look at and none of the stores bothered me when I clicked a couple of pictures. Read more about the gemstones in this link that Pearl had sent me. 

2)Pendants: If you are like me and don't know what to do with these cut stones, then you could buy them as beautiful chunky pendants....funny that I didn't find many earrings or rings though. Most of them are set in ornate carved Silver settings and could cost you a bomb.

 For those on a budget, Coin silver pendants are a blessing. Available as plain metal or set with cabochans of jade, garnet, tiger's eye, turquoise they are pretty and affordable. The ones with enamel or with turquoise mosaic also look cute.

 

  
3) Beads: there are different varieties of beads you can find here. Glass beads (then come from India..so if you are from India like me , you might really not like the variety)  
Rudraksha: botanically known as ELAEOCARPUS GANITRUS ROXB. Its English name is UTRASUM BEAD . These are holy beads of Hindu Shaivaties and are revered as Lord Shiva himself. You can find various rudrakshas - from Ek muki - one face to 21 faces. They are used both as prayer beads - Rosary and in Jewelry

Bone Beads: Beads made from bones - Yak bones are available in plenty. You can also find them as ready made pendants, earrings and button apart from strung beads(which look a little deteriorated in my opinion).
Apart from these you can also find strands of Turquoise and corals hanging in almost every petty shop there.

Craft Enthusiast/Designer

1) Felt Beads & Products: If you are not so much into gem or jewelry then the beautiful felt products available there could take your breadth away. These are hand felted from sheep/yak wool and dyed in beautiful colours. You can buy beads to make mats or jewelry later or you can buy booties (for kids), hair accessories, keychains and other decorative stuff for your house.

  

 2) Lokta Paper: The long fibrous handmade paper is prized for its attractive texture, its durability, strength and its resistance to germs and insects like silverfish, paper crawlers etc. The papers made from Lokta are non-perishable in the water. You can buy sheets of paper to craft or buy ready made products like diaries, calendars, lamp shades to brighten up your house.

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Apart from this there are lots more stuff..if only you would just look. Since my stay was short I had only enough time to look at these. But whatever said and done, Kathmandu is a shoppers haven and that alone is a good reason to get you there, if the thought of seeing the glorious Himalayas don't excite you enough in the first place.;)

With this I come to the end of my must buy list in Kathmandu - Nepal. If you think I have left out anything, please add them in the comments.

Cheers

From Marina to Mt. Everest via kathmandu

 Hello everybody, I  am excited about May - which the information month on my blog - anticipate a lot of info heavy posts this month. So I am back from Nepal ready to share all the spoils of my travel after a week long trip to Nepal.In the last week of April, I left the shores of Marina, Chennai with the sole aim of Seeing Mt.Everest (along with doing lots of shopping ;) ofcourse via Kathmandu. Realising that Nepal is a haven for crafters and jewelry makers, I did a through research( mailing, asking and bugging everybody I knew about what all to get there) before I left. Pearl of Beadinggem was so sweet (infact the only one) to leave me a detailed reply - Thanks Pearl for being there always. Ofcourse most of it didn't go into my head as I got to read the mail only an hour before my departure. So this post and the next one will give first hand reports on what to buy in Kathmandu from a crafter's, a collector's and a jewelry designer's point of view. I hope it is helpful to all of you out there.

 Note: This info is self complied ( I have not been paid, cajoled, threatened by any businessman/woman, tourism guy/official living in this world to do this as an advertisement) and hence might or might not prove to be true in all of Nepal. Also as I was on a budget, I didn't buy a lot of these things. So dont coming running to me if it is not as exotic as it sounds ;) I seem to be having the knack of getting into trouble these days - hence the disclaimer.....lol

General observations on how to shop well there: 

In kathmandu I stayed in Thamel, which is a touristy place(and a shoppers haven). A lot ( A LOT) of people warned me not to buy anything in Thamel as the prices could be high or I could be cheated and like a fool I believed it for the first couple of days and hence lost out on some great bargains. Thamel is a great place to shop, if you know what you want. so make a list before you leave. Don't buy anything the first day - take a look at all the shops and come back the next day to buy.  Bargain (as if your life depends on it) - start from 1/3rd of the price and go up -it is the norm there. Also regardless of wherever you shop, you will get a better bargain if you carry local currency (Nepali NPR or Indian Rupees INR will do). Just don't let a dollar/pound/euro note peek from your purse. With the ground rules set, I'll go on to the must buy list in Kathmandu.

For a Collector :   

1) Thangka Paintings : 

 

These are Tibetan paintings depicting Buddhist and Newari deities. The tson-tang ( painted varieties) are the ones most commonly available in Nepal. They are no doubt exotic, intricate, time consuming to create and hence expensive. I suggest that you take a look at the National Thangka Museum in Baktapur, before you buy any. For people on a budget like me, print impressions of Thangkas are available as magnets, mouse pads - basically souvenirs to take back home.

 

2)Khukri (Gurkha knives):  

Traditional Nepalese knife/weapon used by the world famous ghurkas. They usually come with leather sheaths and beautiful scabbards

 3) Pashmina : Shawls/sweaters: Tell me who doesnt like the soft silky touch of cashmere on their bodies? Well here it is at its affordable best. You will find 4 qualities - 100% Pashmina, Pashmina - silk blend, water pashmina and silk stoles. Technically the last 2 are not cashmere ( but are more attractive to the eye). So look for the blend label before you buy.

4)Bagh Chal: The traditiional game of goats and tigers. A simpler version of this game is played in India by drawing lines on the ground and using stones as checkers.  

5)Curios: There are plenty of curios available in the form of statues, masks and idols - made of terracotto, bone, stone, turquoise, Lapis, and ivory. The best place to buy these is the Baktapur square - directly from the artisans - its cheaper and the money reaches the artisans for once.

6) Wood carving: All 3 the durbar squares are famous for their ornate wooden carved windows and they have been replicated in palaces around the world. The gorgeous peacock window is the most famous of them. Bring home these minis( photo frames, album covers and door panels) for an exotic touch.

Then there are Tibetan prayer wheels, Tibetan bowls (which give out a healing sound), wind chimes and tiny mandals for you to pick from. Saligram - the fossil stone and very holy to Hindu Vaishnavites is available solely in Nepal near Muktinath on the banks of River Gandaki.

With this I come to the end of this post. I shall cover Lokta paper, and prayer beads (Rudhraksha) along with all the gems and jewelry in the next post. 

I hope you found it interesting...watch out for part II 
Cheers

My First Blog Award

I am happy and excited today. I just saw the Himalayas...the entire Lantung range and the mount Everest - yes!! I saw and touched it with my heart :)

And when I checked my blog I found that Janelle from ofpinksandfairytales has presented me with my first ever blog award....

As with many blog awards, this one had its rules too. Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post. She is a working mom and has a lovely little daughter - Andrea. Thanks a million Janelle...love you.
2. Tell us 7 things about yourself. Here goes:
- I was brought up in Trichy, did my college in Chennai and worked in Bangalore before coming back to Chennai
- I am a fashion designer by qualification and a small town girl at heart.
- Even though Sayuri is just my brand name, I don't mind (actually love) being referred to as Sayuri
- I am a bundle of oxymorons - I love being at home and I love seeing new places. I think big yet enjoy small pleasures. I like collecting new recipes but prefer my mom's cooking 
- As all my friends and busy at work or with their families, Google search is my best friend now
- I want to wear a micro mini skirt with devilish stilettos and walk around in the streets someday...(no seriously, I am not kidding ;) )
- My love for Jewelry came from my paternal grandmother (Pattuma !!) and I wish that she had been alive to see my work

3. Share the award with 6 - 10 blogs you just discovered - okay I am going to change this a bit and would like to give this award to blogs and bloggers who have inspired me, helped me, taught me and been there for me. So the Award goes to

- Pearl at The Beading gem's Journal

- Bhushavali at the Fashion Panache

- Bev at Flamingo toes

- Michelle at Mich L.in L.A.

-Dotty from Totally Tutorials ( I know that we would all agree on this one !)

- Maya at Little Treasures

- Shalini at Craft Curry

-Nancy at Wickwire Jewelry

-  Little Birdie Secrets

Check out their blogs everyone!
 Cheers
 

Sequin hairclip tute

Last month when I was digging through my drawers I found a strip of sequin tape. I realised it was very old and it was undoubtedly useless as a tape as it was all coming out. So I ripped the sequin strip from it and hoarded it aside (as always) to make something out of it. At least this time, it is blue. (am so tired of doing tutorials in pink :P) So I went to my accessories draw and pulled out an old pair of earrings. I remember when a new jewelry knick knack store opened in the township where we stayed - "Porpadam" (which when translated means - gold feet). I went there and bought this pair for Rs.15 (a lot to pay for an earring as a kid 16 years back :):) to go with my birthday dress.I don't think I have worn it in the last 5-7 years so its time to convert it. What say? So thus was born this clip and with that this tute ;)

Materials required :

- A strip of sequins (length depends on the required size 6 -8")
- Earrings drops - pair (you can make your own drops by looping beads on a headpins and then attaching them to flat chains with a crimp cover
-a circle of Felt or leather for backing
- a center bead or button
- Scissors,  flush cutter
-clear glue

Procedure :

1) Cut the earrings below the ear stud as in pic - If you are making them out of beads and headpins and flat chains crimp them together at the top so that they are one piece.
2) Apply glue in a circle on the base as big as you want the clip to be and start gluing the strip keeping it as flat as possible

3) Insert one set of drops, under the sequins.

4) When the entire strip of sequins is used, press down and trim of the backing. (Instead you could cut a circle of felt to begin with and start gluing then to make it neater)

5) Slide in the second set of drops, cut shorter than the first, underneath the center row of the sequins and glue it down.

Note: if you are making the hanging - there is no need to add the chains for the second set of drops...just add the drops to a big jump ring and hot glue it in the center behind the button

6) cover  the chains with a bead or a button

7) glue a clip or Barrett on the reverse side and cover with a piece of felt if required

8) Its done !! slip in your hair and take a couple of pictures ;)







Hope you had fun doing this clip
Cheers